Shattered
by Dixie-Filly
Summary: When Téa witnesses Marik's life altering accident, she and the rest of gang begin building a new friendship with one of their most violent enemies ever faced. Set after the end of season 5.
1. Chapter 1

The cool summer evening breeze that greeted the dancer's skin as she exited the studio was a welcome treat after an especially taxing day. The young brunette stretched out her aching calf muscles one at a time as she adjusted her backpack before heading for home. The pain couldn't keep the smile off of Téa Gardener's face however. She had landed a solo, an advanced pointe solo at that, for the next dance competition her studio team would be attending. For the past week every evening after she finished teaching beginning ballet classes and doing paper work at the dance studio, she practiced for hours.

As the teen continued walking down the street her smile faded somewhat as she thought about how her friends must feel like she had abandoned them. Téa chewed on her lip, thinking back to Yugi's crestfallen expression, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, when she had to tell him she had dance this afternoon and couldn't hang out with the group at his Grandpa's shop like usual on Friday afternoons. Thinking of Yugi made memories of Atem spring forth in her mind, the sting of tears always fresh at the back of her eyes at his recollection. If she was still this emotional, she couldn't imagine what Yugi felt, which made her feel even worse for not being there for him like times before. The girl sighed as she came to a four way intersection, pressing the crosswalk button before stuffing her hands into her dance team jacket.

The jarring sound of a honking horn jolted Téa from her somber thoughts as she turned and saw a green SUV speeding down the street a few blocks across. By the irritating and continuous honking, Téa quickly realized it was the college age guy who routinely was late for his night shift job, which resulted in him driving like a maniac on almost a nightly basis.

"Jerk is going to hurt someone one of these days," she muttered under her breath as she watched him speed closer. Seeing that he was not slowing down, Téa looked up and saw that the light had just turned red, but he still had plenty of time to stop. Of which it didn't appear that he was going to. Right about the time the girl realized the reckless driver was going to plow through the light, she heard the sound of what she thought was a motorcycle coming down the other street.

Téa had barely got out "Wait!" in a futile attempt to stop the inevitable when everything happened in what felt like an instant. Her wide blue eyes just caught a flash of the two vehicles colliding before she slammed them closed with a horrified gasp at the sound of screeching brakes and metal crashing into metal deafening the air. After a few seconds, the ringing in her ears subsiding, she dared to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was the college kid tearing at his hair and swearing in a panic before turning and running like mad from the scene. Téa was about to yell when her vision fell to the mangled bike that lay in the street…and the still form that was thrown a few yards away lying haphazardly on their side. Téa's blood ran cold as she thought the person must surely be dead. She stood shaking in shock, not sure what to do when she saw the injured driver's arm move feebly.

In no time the lithe dancer raced across the street to the fallen driver's side, cold adrenaline pumping through her veins.

"Hey, can you hear me?" the girl asked softly as she scanned the body of what appeared to be a young man around her age. She felt her stomach lurch when she saw his left leg bent at an awkward angle, blood already trickling through his dark grey pants. By now a small crowd had formed around the awful scene. Seeing a woman on her phone, Téa quickly ordered her to call for an ambulance, with which she nodded and proceeded to do so as the teen girl turned her attention back to the boy. She could hear him desperately trying to suck in air, his whole body shivering violently. "Hey, I'm going to help you get your helmet off ok," she gently spoke gently while unbuckling the strap and carefully pulling it off while trying not to move his neck as much as possible.

She felt like it should have hit her sooner as flaxen blond hair came into view, but it didn't hit home until she was looking into a pair of agonized and utterly terrified violet eyes. Then everything came together. The bike, the scraped and bloody golden arm bands, the strange and awful scars, or rather what was left of them, that showed where the boy's black tank top had been torn from his back and badly bleeding shoulder from skidding across the asphalt.

"Marik?" the girl breathed in shock. She hadn't seen the young Ishtar since they left Egypt after the Ceremonial Duel, which was a few months ago. She thought she heard Yugi say something recently about them moving to Domino to start a new life. Apparently Ishizu had secured a permanent job at the museum and had a grant from a local university to continue her research, but Téa had yet to see them around town.

"Téa," the boy tried to say, but a pool of blood streamed from the boy's lips, the awful, copper taste nearly making him gag.

Téa felt her heart go to her throat as she took in the crimson liquid staining the boy's face, teeth, and the pavement beneath him. She knew if he was bleeding that badly internally, he wouldn't last much longer. But a spark of hope prompted her to think otherwise. Blinking her shock away quickly, she snatched her backpack off and unzipped it hurriedly. Snatching a pink T-shirt and a bottle of water, she turned back to the violently trembling boy.

"Marik, I'm going to try to rinse some of this blood out ok. Don't try to swallow, just let it run through the side of your mouth alright," she spoke calmly before slowly letting the water wash the red from the boy's mouth. The Egyptian flinched as the stream flowed between his lips, his eyes squinting shut in discomfort. Before it welled with blood again, Téa saw that the gushing blood flow was from where the teen had bitten his tongue upon the sudden impact.

"Oh thank God," she breathed with a smile, before gingerly taking the shirt and wiping the blood away from his face while Marik slowly opened his eyes again. "You're going to be alright Marik," Téa spoke comfortingly while shrugging out of her black and pink jacket and carefully draping it over her former enemy, making sure not to touch his raw shoulder and upper back. "Everything is going to be alright," she soothed while continuing to clean the blood from his ashen face. The boy shook like a leaf under her hands, his skin growing paler by the minute. The girl turned and saw that his injured leg was now saturated in crimson, the way the blood soaked fabric clung to his skin sending a sour feeling to her stomach. Bone must have pierced through his skin to cause bleeding like that. On top of that, his shoulder was bleeding profusely as well. Thinking quickly Téa dug around in her bag until she pulled out a pair of black leggings. "I'm going to make a tourniquet for your leg ok, don't let me hurt you too much alright," Téa tried to keep her voice from trembling as she proceeded to try to quell the flow of blood by tying the leggings around his thigh while also trying not to get light headed herself at the grisly sight. The Egyptian gasped breathlessly at the motion, his body shuddering in pain.

"Sorry, sorry," Téa said shakily after pulling away. "Marik, are you alright? Stay with me ok," she said with growing panic at how ashen his usually dark skin was becoming, his breathing hitching breaths between shudders.

"Téa," the boy weakly said, blood still falling from his lips. "Did I…hurt anyone?" the teen asked quietly between forced inhales.

The dancer didn't think she had been so surprised in her life. Here he was lying here in a god awful mess because of someone else's stupid actions…and the former hateful, selfish, manipulative, revenge seeking Marik Ishtar was asking if he had hurt anyone in the accident that wasn't even his fault.

The boy was surprised at how tenderly Téa brushed his wild bangs from his sweating face. "No Marik, you didn't hurt anyone," she spoke soothingly, her hand moving to rest reassuringly on an uninjured area of his back for a few moments before setting to work again.

"Hey, I'm going to take your gold bands off ok. The paramedics will have to anyway, but I can put them in my backpack for you," the dancer smiled softly at the Egyptian before gently removing the horribly scraped bands from his raw arms and then cautiously undoing the choker from his neck. By then the sound of sirens began to draw near, Téa noticing that Marik's eyes grew wide with fear again. Honestly the girl didn't think she would ever see that kind of terror in the Ishtar's eyes since he was always so reserved and quiet. But then she realized that Marik hadn't even seen the sun until he was eleven years old, and she doubted during his dark time of plotting against the Pharaoh that he had any interaction with any medical professionals. She doubted that the teen had even been in a doctor's office. Instantly she felt even more terrible for the injured Egyptian. Without having any idea what was going to happen to him, no wonder he was so frightened.

As the ambulance came into view, Téa saw Marik's breathing begin to race. The boy calmed however when he felt her slip her hand around his, his lavender eyes looking up to see her softly smiling at him.

"I'm not going to leave you," he was stunned to hear her say as the vehicle with the flashing red lights pulled up at the scene. "Just relax, they're here to help you and I'll be right here," the dancer smiled softly before giving his hand a squeeze and moving out of the way of the paramedics but staying within his line of vision.

Téa watched as a man and a woman paramedic quickly sprinted to the injured teen's side while sitting on her knees as close as possible to him. She helped answer questions from the male paramedic while the female shined a light into the Egyptian's lavender eyes while talking softly to him. After asking the shuddering boy a few questions, the two professionals gingerly rolled him onto a stretcher, Téa wincing as Marik's breath hitched in his chest at the painful movement. While the female medic began cutting what was left of the black tank top away, the man sprinted back to the vehicle.

"Tell me if I hurt you sweetie," the soft spoken woman smiled softly at the injured boy before she began to gingerly press on the bruised abdomen. Her fingers had barely pressed into his side when the teen's body flinched away from her fingers, a strangled gasp hissing from his lips. Téa felt her stomach turn at the way the woman's face fell. "I'm sorry honey," she tenderly spoke to him as Téa moved closer, her heart breaking at how Marik's face seemed to blanch almost white at the woman's prodding. The boy thought he was going to be sick from the pain, but once again he was surprised when he felt Téa grasp his hand, lavender eyes looking up to see her face laced with worry.

By then the other paramedic was back, both of them readying a splint for the teen's badly broken leg.

"Bear with us honey, we'll try to be quick," the woman patted Marik's uninjured shoulder compassionately before moving to help her partner.

"You can squeeze my hand if it helps," Marik heard Téa say quietly as his heart began to race as the two paramedics began to move toward his throbbing leg. The boy's lips parted slightly in shock as he stared at her wide eyed, her thumb softly stroking the skin over his knuckles.

Even through the fogginess of shock and pain, Marik was astonished at the tenderness Téa was showing him. He had used her so cruelly not too long ago, and even so she was here with him offering him what comfort she could. The boy was about to rasp out a thank you when his vision exploded with a fuzzy darkness as an agonizing and searing pain engulfed the left side of his body, a choked off scream tearing through his chest.

Téa winced and bit her lip, not at the fact the injured boy was unknowingly borderline crushing her hand, but at the raw and awful pain he was enduring himself. Her eyes darted back and forth between the paramedics trying to manipulate his shattered leg into the splint and watching her former enemy writhe on his back, the veins in his arms and neck pushing against his skin as he fought not to cry out again.

Though the process only took a few minutes, by the time the two medical professionals had the leg splinted and secured, Téa was unnerved at how white and quiet Marik had become. Though his grip on her hand relaxed somewhat, he still held on to her as his eyes stared up in a hazy fog unfocused while his body trembled violently.

"We need to go," the woman said quickly, neither one of them wasting time getting the boy to the ambulance, Téa reluctantly letting go of his hand as she followed, quickly slinging her backpack over her shoulder. The male paramedic must have noticed the anxiety and uncertainty in the dancer's eyes as she stood behind the vehicle.

"Do you know him?" he asked her softly.

"Yeah, he's my…my friend," Téa felt herself saying without even thinking. The man smiled and offered her his hand to pull her up into the vehicle as well.

"Well it's a blessing you were here for him," he smiled as she shakily sat down by the Egyptian's side as the woman was busy working over him. Téa turned her attention back to the injured teen as the man hopped out and shut the doors, the truck taking off soon after with the sirens blaring in her ears.

"Come on sweetie, stay awake for me," the soft spoken, middle aged woman coaxed the injured teen to stay conscious while starting another I.V. line, squeezing the bag of clear liquid to make the flow of life-saving fluid faster, another line and bag of fluids already in place. Téa felt as if her brain were on autopilot as her gaze stayed riveted to the boy's ashen face. She felt herself holding her breath as Marik's dazed expression didn't change, the paramedic injecting something into the line taped to his arm after a glance at his vitals. "Don't go into shock on me honey," the woman gently patted the boy's face after securing an oxygen mask and squeezing both drip bags once again. Both Téa and the woman watched intently, and then to their relief as his vitals began to finally stabilize somewhat. "There you go, good boy, keep fighting," the woman smiled as she pulled a sheet up to the boy's chest.

Téa couldn't help the relieved grin that crossed her lips as Marik's violet eyes began to blink back to life slowly. She reached out a trembling hand to take his own before he began to panic, his pulse slowing and his eyes moving to focus on the girl beside him. "You scared me just then," Marik was surprised to see her so shaken. She was shaking almost as badly as he was. "Hey, I need to call your sister and brother so they can be on their way. Is Ishizu still at the museum?" she asked him while pulling out her phone and beginning to look up the number.

"She's in…a meeting. Rishid…went with her," Téa looked up to see that he had pulled the mask off enough to speak, his hand trembling. "I can give…you…her number," he said in between painful breaths. "Her phone's off but…she always checks…her messages. Maybe the…front desk is still…open though," he rasped, seeming to grow instantly tired from speaking.

"Don't worry, I'll get them to you as soon as I can," Téa smiled. "Now try to save your energy ok," she frowned slightly at how winded he got so quickly. Téa just barely caught the paramedic on the phone with the emergency room, the words "internal bleeding" and "severed artery"catching her ears. Immediately she dialed the front desk of Domino Museum, praying that someone would pick up. At least one thing worked out in the boy's favor.

Téa was greeted by the receptionist just as they pulled into the emergency room receiving center in the parking lot.

"Yes, I need to speak with Ishizu Ishtar. It's an emergency. Her brother has been in an accident and I'm with him at the emergency room," Téa urgently told the woman on the other line as she tried to keep up but also stay out of the way as they headed inside. The girl listened to annoying elevator music as she was put on hold, but her eyes still kept vigil on her former enemy currently being transferred off the stretcher to a bed. Téa was so absorbed by the sheer amount of blood that was left on the stretcher from the teen's back and shoulder injuries alone that she didn't catch the other line picking back up.

"Téa?"

This time the girl snapped out of her thoughts at Ishizu's soft, but now very obviously panicked voice.

"Ishizu? Hey, this is Téa. Yugi's friend. Marik's been in an accident and I was there, it wasn't his fault though. We're in the emergency room now. He's been injured pretty badly, but he's been able to talk with me the whole time," the frazzled teen word vomited in a rush.

"Can I speak with him?" the Egyptian woman asked without waiting for any more details.

"Uh, yeah sure hold on," Téa stammered as she glanced at the medical staff swarming around him. Finally one of the nurses moved where Téa could quickly slide in beside the bedside. By now Téa could tell the adrenaline was wearing off by the sweat on the boy's paling skin, his eyes closed as he clutched the sheets in his fists. Marik's eyes creaked open when he felt a soft tapping on his uninjured shoulder, Téa smiling softly at him as she held the phone beside him. "It's Ishizu," she quietly told him.

"Sister?" the boy's breath sighed from his lungs in exhaustion. Téa watched as a weak smile crawled across his blood stained lips. "I'll be alright sister, don't cry," Téa felt her chest tighten as she faintly heard Ishizu's devastated voice on the other line as Marik tried to comfort her. The dancer looked away, but wished she hadn't when she caught sight of the nurses cutting the remainder of the boy's pants away. The fabric they set aside was absolutely drenched in crimson, the bone shearing through the mutilated tan flesh of his thigh the cause of such bleeding. The lower part of the leg didn't look much better.

Téa had to steady herself on the bed's railings to keep from getting overcome by the lightheadedness that threatened to overtake her as a nurse shouted that they needed a unit of blood. The overpowering scent of iron hit her nose hard.

"I love you…sister…and…I love you…my brother," Marik's weakening words brought her back to reality.

"We need to get him into surgery now," Téa was startled by one of the nurses grasping her arm softly, his expression serious. Téa was about to open her mouth to protest leaving him, in fear that the boy would panic in his borderline delirious state, but a quick glance at his bloodied face sent a swift kick in her stomach as she saw he had slipped unconscious again.

"Why…why has he gotten so weak? Why is he unconscious? Is…is he dying?" Téa felt her body begin to shake with an icy tremor once again as she stared into the nurse's face for answers. "He was awake a second ago," she felt her words spilling out of her.

"He's lost a lot of blood and is in shock, it appears he has internal bleeding as well. It's a miracle he stayed awake as long as he did, but now we're taking him straight to surgery. I promise we'll let you know how he is doing as soon as we can, but for now the best way you can help him is to let us take care of him ok," the man spoke calmly to her as he turned her around and began to walk her away from the scene.

Téa felt like she was on autopilot as she shuffled out into the quiet waiting room of the OR. Looking up from her magazine the receptionist went to smile at the young girl when she noted the girl's look of shock and the blood stains on her hands and knees and shirt.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" the woman asked while rising from her seat, but before the girl could answer the sound of hurried footsteps caught her attention as the two elder Ishtar siblings borderline ran into the room.

"Téa, our brother? What happened?" Ishizu breathlessly pleaded as her gentle hands came to rest on the young girl's shoulders, her eyes red and puffy. Even the imposing Rishid was pale and shaking as the teen tried to find her voice.

"He's in surgery," Téa's trembling lips spoke while lifting her tear clouded gaze to Ishizu's terrified face. "That idiot jerk hit him and ran," Téa continued, feeling her body begin to quiver, her words becoming more hitched. "I tried, I swear I tried to warn him," a sob finally broke from her chest. "I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't…" the dancer choked out, Ishizu still holding onto her fearing the girl might collapse. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Téa finally broke down, sobbing hysterically as the Egyptian woman pulled her into her arms, cradling her head against her neck.

"It's not your fault, it's not your fault Téa," the soft spoken woman soothed while her own voice cracked with tears as well. "You were there for our brother, you helped Marik when we couldn't be there for him," Ishizu said gently, her eyes looking up to Rishid as he placed a comforting hand on the broken girl's shoulder. The gentle woman let Téa collect herself in her arms, the dancer's face horribly red and blotchy as she finally pulled away and wiped at her face. The three of them then sat down as Téa, now calmed down, told the Ishtars everything that had happened. Of course both Egyptians were horrified at the injuries Téa described, fresh tears coming to Ishizu's eyes but the woman wiped them away gracefully.

"Our brother does not give up easily," she sniffed, grasping Rishid's hand tightly. The woman saw Téa smile softly when she finally noted her blood stained hands limply sitting atop her equally stained leggings. Ishizu felt her stomach lurch at the realization it was her baby brother's blood, but she knew Téa was also equally in shock and was probably unaware of her situation. Gently the woman grasped the teen's arm and explained that they were going to find her some clean clothes to change into. Hearing her, the receptionist offered to go get a pair of spare scrubs from the nurse's lounge, with which Téa thanked her gratefully when she was handed the sea foam green pair of clothes.

Seeing how pale and shaken Téa still was, Ishizu smiled softly and grasped the girl's hand.

"Here, let's go get you cleaned up alright?" the gentle woman softly spoke despite her tear scratched voice, Téa numbly following her down the hall to the bathrooms.


	2. Chapter 2

**Holy crap I updated! What?!**

Water the color of rust swirled down the drain as Téa washed the blood from her hands and arms. The task was made more difficult by the ceaseless shaking of her hands, not to mention the somersaults her stomach was doing at the sight of the red on her skin. Ishizu stood outside the bathroom door waiting patiently. After finally deeming herself clean, the dancer carefully removed her ruined clothing and slipped into the slightly oversized scrubs. They were comfy and soft against her skin, a welcome feeling after everything that had happened. Téa bent and gathered her old clothes in a heap, a mix of leggings, her favorite leotard, and a pair of shorts and, with a frown, tossed them into the trashcan.

"Are you alright Téa?" Ishizu asked as the teen stepped out of the bathroom. She could still see the girl shaking slightly and knew she may still be in a bit of shock. Of course, the girl wasn't one to center attention on herself.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she smiled up at the older woman. "Thanks for getting me a change of clothes," she added.

"We will get you replacements for whatever you lost," the Egyptian woman smiled softly, to which Téa immediately shook her head.

"Oh no, don't worry about it! Really, I have plenty!" Téa waved her hands in front of her quickly. "You shouldn't have to worry about that," she said softly, thinking of how hard it must be to have someone you love so much in the operating room with an uncertain future.

"You are a very kind soul Téa, I thank the gods you were there for my brother," Ishizu laid a hand on her shoulder before turning to head back down the hall.

"I'll be back in the waiting room in a minute, I'm going to call Yugi and let him know what's going on if that's ok," Téa called after her as she pulled her cellphone from her bag.

"Of course," Ishizu smiled softly before continuing down the hall.

Téa quickly dialed her best friend's number, the phone ringing twice before she was greeted by Yugi's slightly sleepy voice.

"Hello, Téa?" he answered the phone, a bit of surprise in his voice. It was getting quite late and Téa wasn't one to call past dark.

"Yugi, I'm sorry to wake you but I thought you should know," she said somberly, twisting the green fabric of the scrub top in her fingers.

"Know what Téa?" he asked, his voice now serious.

"When I was coming home from dance, that guy that drives like a maniac finally hit someone. He hit Marik Yugi. I stayed with him up until they took him to surgery. It's pretty bad," she relayed the grave news. "I'm at the hospital with Ishizu and Rishid. They are pretty messed up about it," she finished.

"I'll be right over, give me fifteen minutes," Yugi hastily said before ending the call. Téa sniffed while dropping her phone back in her bag before leaning against the wall. She couldn't get the scene out of her mind. The crash. The blood. The fear that Marik was going to die at any second right in front of her eyes. The girl raised her hand and looked at it sadly. She could still feel him clinging to her, his hand cold and trembling.

"Please don't die," she whispered quietly before gathering herself and heading back to the waiting area.

It wasn't long before Yugi came hurriedly walking into the waiting area, but to Téa's surprise with Joey, Tristan, and Bakura in tow. The Ishtars looked equally surprised, but soon Ishizu smiled warmly at the group of friends who had come to see about her brother.

"Have you heard anything?" Yugi asked breathlessly as the group came to form a circle around the other three.

Ishizu shook her head somberly. "We haven't heard anything yet," she said softly. "Rishid and I can't thank you all enough for coming," she smiled at the new group, her heart warming that her brother had friends who were worried about him.

"Marik is our friend, of course we'd come!" Yugi smiled at her before sitting next to Téa, the others sitting close by as well. "You ok Téa?" the boy asked, noticing the scrubs she was wearing and the unsettled air about her.

"I…I'm just worried about him. He was hurt bad Yugi," Téa said, her usual cheery voice gone. "It's so surreal," she sadly grinned at her friend. Yugi nodded understandingly.

Suddenly a pair of footsteps was heard, hard boots clacking against the slick marble floor as a pair of policemen came up to the receptionist who then pointed at the group. The two men, a young man and the other appearing in his forties, turned and approached the group, the elder taking off his sunglasses.

"My name is Deputy Wilson, and this is Officer Clark. Are you here for the boy involved in the hit and run case?" he asked in a calm and gentle voice, his brown eyes scanning the large group and settling on the two elders, who were getting out of their seats.

"Yes! He's our brother!" Ishizu exclaimed as she and Rishid stood, fresh tears coming to her her cerulean orbs. "Have you found the man who left my brother for dead?!" Ishizu asked getting upset, Rishid taking her in his strong arms.

The group looked at the officers in earnest, desperate to hear his reply.

"Unfortunately no we haven't, but we heard there was a witness who was present at the time of the collision and stayed with the victim. We were hoping to ask them a few questions that will help us in the search," the deputy said while folding his sunglasses and putting them away in his shirt pocket.

Téa felt an icy rush down her spine, but she swallowed hard and stood up. "That's me," she said quietly, Yugi squeezing her hand reassuringly before she walked up next to the Ishtars.

"Would you mind speaking with us over there for a few moments please," he asked her kindly, with which she nodded and followed them over to another sitting area. They asked what she expected. What she saw. What the college kid looked like. Did she know where he lived or worked, etc. The girl relaxed a bit as they went on and she described everything in detail, praying her words would help them catch the man who had possibly ruined Marik's life and that of his siblings.

After talking with Téa the officers talked with the Ishtars and gave them their numbers. They said their condolences and then left, the group sitting in a somber silence for a few minutes as Ishizu collected herself once again, Rishid holding her close. The hours then began to drag on one by one. At first the group tried to keep the spirit up by chatting quietly, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura visiting the snack bar frequently, but as the hours ticked on, everyone became quiet. Eventually Joey and Tristan dosed off, each leaning against each other while softly snoring. Bakura also nodded off on a small couch. After six hours and with little more information than "he's still in surgery", the Ishtars and the two teens left awake were quite antsy.

"It's been so long," Téa said quietly, her eyes beginning to grow heavy, but there was no way she could sleep without knowing something.

"That's such a long time to be in surgery. My grandpa's knee replacement was only two hours," Yugi sighed worriedly.

Finally, a nurse in pink scrubs came out of a door by the receptionist's desk and after speaking with her headed over to the group. Of course the Ishtar's jumped to their feet, the brunette woman smiling softly at them. By then Yugi had woken Joey, Tristan, and Bakura, the three coming to attention quickly when they realized what was going on.

"Are you Marik's siblings?" she asked them with a grin. "He's asking to see you two," she smiled, Ishizu nearly falling into Rishid's arms, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "The surgeon will speak with you first then I'll take you back to see him. He's doing great after the surgery," she finished.

"Oh thank God," Téa breathed as her hand went to her chest. It felt as if a huge weight had fallen from her shoulders.

"Aw yeah, we knew he could do it!" Joey high fived Tristan.

Téa was honestly shocked to see them so worried and now excited for the Egyptian boy. Joey didn't forgive easily, but Marik had helped them so much in helping Atem find his lost memories. He was nothing but kind to them the whole time and even seemed to grieve along with them afterwards. He really had changed…

"Téa?"

The dancer was brought out of her reverie by Ishizu's silky voice. The girl snapped her head up to see the Egyptian woman smiling softly down at her.

"Would you like to go with us?" she asked, Téa feeling her heart rate begin to increase.

"Of course, thank you so much," she replied as she stood and followed before quickly turning. "Um, you all don't have to wait on me guys," she waved at the group before sprinting to catch up with the Ishtars.

They were led to a small consultation room, a vase of lilies on the coffee table in the middle of the room where they sat on plush leather couches. "Dr. Sardis will be in in a few minutes," the nurse said before closing the door.

For the first time, Téa began to feel a bit nervous. She honestly didn't know the Ishtars that well; she was in awe that Ishizu had even asked her to come. But the thought of seeing Marik after everything that had happened… She could feel her heart begin to beat faster again and a warmth come to her cheeks. The dancer tightened her fists beside her legs, trying to make sense of this when the door opened.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Sardis," a middle aged and slim man with grey hair said as he shook each of their hands. "I'm glad to report that your brother did very well, though his injuries are quite traumatic," the man said while sitting behind a desk and opening a file. "So our biggest hurdles are going to be the compound fractures in the left femur and tibia. The femur break severed the femoral artery which caused massive bleeding. Your brother was in severe hypovolemic shock when he came to me. Thankfully I was able to repair the severed artery and with blood transfusions he stabilized quickly. Unfortunately, despite stabilizing the fractures, it will take an orthopedic surgeon to repair the breaks properly, but it will take a few days before he is strong enough for that surgery. Now there was also a laceration to the spleen that was bleeding, which was also repaired no problem. He's going to have quite the scar as we didn't have time to prepare for laparoscopic. The right hip is cracked, but it will heal on its own. And finally he has serious abrasions to his right shoulder that will take quite a while to heal and will leave permanent scarring. He's probably going to struggle with this for some time, but he is truly lucky to be alive," he finished, closing the manila file.

Téa felt her hand go to her mouth as the doctor described just how severe his injuries were. She heard Ishizu begin to cry softly and when she turned to look the absolute devastation in Rishid's eyes was heartbreaking.

"My baby brother," the woman sniffed softly as Rishid handed her the tissue box next to the lilies.

"Is quite the fighter," the doctor smiled before opening the door. "I will get Trish to take you to see him," he said before closing the door again. A minute later the same nurse in pink scrubs opened the door.

"Are you ready?" she grinned before leading them to an elevator. "He's in the ICU for now, it's on the 4th floor room 405". The butterflies in Téa's stomach only worsened with the movement of the elevator and in no time the doors were opening on the 4th floor. The group passed the nurse's station, full of computers with everyone's vitals displayed on the screens. The air smelled strongly of antiseptic. Finally they stopped outside of his room, Trish opening the door as Téa stepped back.

"You guys go have some time by yourself first," Téa said while stuffing her hands in the pockets of the scrub top. "I'll hang out here, it's no problem," she smiled at the two Ishtar siblings. Both of them smiled gratefully before following the nurse into the dimly lit room, the door closing behind them.

Again Téa was left with her thoughts as she leaned against the wall, her eyes following the bustling movements of the staff as they tended to patients. Not long after Trish slipped out of the door, her hands placing her stethoscope back around her neck before she looked up at Téa.

"Are you Téa?" she asked while scribbling on clipboard.

"Uh, yeah," she answered quickly.

The nurse grinned sweetly. "He asked his sister if you were here. He looked so surprised when she said yes," the nurse said as Téa felt her cheeks burn. "Seeing you will definitely make him feel better. Bless his heart, he's been put through the wringer," She finished before smiling again and heading off to the big desk of computers.

Now Téa couldn't stop the fire that was in her cheeks. She knew she must be bright red.

By the time Ishizu opened the door, Téa prayed her face was back to normal. Thankfully it must have been as the woman didn't ask her if anything was wrong, although Téa could see she had been crying again. "Would you like to see him?" she asked as the door closed behind her. "He's still very tired from the anesthesia but he's very aware surprisingly," she said just as Rishid stepped out. "We're going to tell the others everything, we will be back in a few minutes," Ishizu said as they headed down the hall.

Again the girl's pulse raced as she turned toward the door and grabbed the handle. For the life of her she didn't understand why she was so nervous. But that didn't matter now. Determinedly she inhaled swiftly and opened the door and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed was that it was quite dark in the room, the lights dimmed low. She couldn't immediately see him, the bathroom wall blocking everything except the foot of the bed. It was so quiet as she stepped forward, but then he finally came into her line of vision.

"Oh Marik, what has he done to you?" Téa breathed as her and covered her mouth in shock. The first thing her blue eyes fell on was his leg that was propped up with pillows. A huge splint encased what appeared to be the entire leg all the way up to the hip, blankets gathered around his waist for modesty. The lower part of his leg was bandaged as well, and Téa could see stitches in his thigh. Scanning her eyes upwards she saw a long strip of gauze taped straight down his abdomen, the blankets pulled up about halfway masking part of it. The dancer felt herself shudder at the thought of being cut open. His chest was covered in wires and leads, his arms full of tubes and tape. His shoulder and upper chest were bound in thick gauze as well. Téa just stood there thinking of how pale he looked. How fragile. Then her gaze fell to his face and she was startled when she saw violet orbs looking back at her.

"It's...a lot…huh?" the Egyptian rasped weakly, Téa snapping out of her trance.

"Oh, hi Marik," the girl blurted out in a rush, her cheeks warming again as she saw him smile lightly at her.

"Hi…Téa," he softly grinned back at her, Téa noticing the oxygen tube that ran across his pale face whose color matched the white pillows more than his usual rich tan complexion.

"I um, I'm sorry for staring," she said quietly, knowing her cheeks were definitely bright red by now.

"Rishid…and Ishizu…did the same. Don't…worry about it," he said between raspy breaths. "You…can sit down...if you want," the boy said, Téa realizing she was still just standing there like an idiot. Finally the girl's legs moved and she came to sit in the chair that was next to him, careful not to disturb any of the equipment.

"So um, how are you feeling?" she asked quietly, sure that he was in an immense amount of pain and that it was a stupid question to ask.

"Like I've…been hit…by a car," she saw him smirk lightly, the slightest snort coming from Téa as she fought not to laugh. She was elated to see him feeling well enough to joke with her.

"Well, you look it," she smirked back at him, the both of them laughing softly, a slight wheeze to the Egyptian's voice.

"Don't..rub it in," he smiled before a grimace took his features.

Téa instantly took his hand despite the tape and tubes, his violet eyes opening in surprise after the pain had calmed. "Really Marik,"she begin seriously, "Are you ok?" she asked, the boy again shocked at the seriousness in her eyes.

Marik leaned back into the pillows exhausted. "Well, they gave me… a nerve block from the waist… down so I don't feel much honestly. But my shoulder… is a different story," he finished as he looked up at her, seeing her face laced with worry. "I'm not too excited…for when the…block wears off," his slightly accented voice sighed.

"Hey, I'll be here for you," she smiled while squeezing his hand gently, the boys eyes widening in shock before they lowered.

"Téa?"

"Yes?" she answered uncertain, noticing the boy's change in demeanor.

"Why are you…being so nice to me?" he asked quietly before looking up at the dancer. He panicked when he saw her staring in shock so he continued. "I mean…I was…horrible to you…and your friends. I…used you so cruelly. I hurt you…"

"Marik stop," Téa laid her other hand on his good shoulder as she got up. "Stop, please," she said softly, the boy feeling his own face becoming warm. "That's in the past now. You've suffered enough for it. You apologized. You turned your life around. You showed Atem how to get his memories back. You're our friend Marik. Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura are in the waiting room desperate to know if you're ok. I wasn't going to let you go through this terrible accident alone. I had to know that you weren't going to die," Téa felt the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes as she finished. "You're a good person Marik," she said as she sat back down with a sniff. "And we're all going to help you get through this together," she smiled softly while looking back up at the Egyptian who was stunned. Téa noticed that his heartrate had increased on the monitor before adding, "Now get your pulse back down before I get in trouble," she half smirked.

Finally the boy snapped out of shock and smiled softly at the girl beside him, her soft and warm hand still in his. "I'll try…I'm sorry," he exhaled before wincing again. "Téa?" he asked again.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you,"

The dancer was about to reply when she heard sniffle behind her. Before she knew it Ishizu had pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you for being so kind to my brother," her tear cracked voice said as Téa watched Marik smirk at her surprise as his sister squeezed her. She mouthed the words "were they in here?" at him, with which he nodded his head.

"I'm going to kill you," she silently formed the words at the blond Egyptian, who chuckled quietly and gave her shaky a thumbs up.

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